Saint Anthony Mary Claret

1094 The princess Isabel de, first-born to Queen Isabel II, was born in Madrid on December 20, 1851. She had Father Claret as tutor and spiritual teacher. On May 13, 1868 in the Royal Palace of Madrid, she married Italian Prince don Cayetano María Federico de Borbón (1846-1871), Count of Girgenti. The Saint recorded these lines about the princess “I am pleased with the Lord on seeing that she has turned out to be such an educated, religious, and virtuous woman who does great honor to her parents and the entire nation of Spain and is the admiration of all foreigners” (Doc. Autob. XIII). Likewise, the princess Isabel always had a great veneration for her saintly confessor and she would say many years later: “He was my confessor whom I loved so very much” (Anales CMF 25 (1929) 235). She died without leaving an heir, in Paris on April 22, 1931 (cf. Zorrilla y González de Mendoza, Francisco Javier, Genealogía de la Casa de Borbón de España [Madrid 1971] p. 182; Padrós, Juan Bautista, Sobre la infanta Isabel: La Andacollo Star, 1910, pp. 381-383).

1095 He refers to his work Spiritual Exercises... Explained (Madrid 1859) 462 pp.

1096 The copy that he gave to Isabel II and which is presently kept in the Chapel of Claretian Relics in Rome, is autographed by the Saint in dedication to her and says: “To her Majesty Queen Doña Isabel II as proof of love. The author. Anthony Mary Claret, Archbishop.”

1097 On saying “last year,” he is referring to 1861, since he wrote this in 1862. According to Paladio Currius, Father Claret never used that cushion nor others that they provided for him in the churches. Nor in his palace in Cuba (cf. APT ses. 12).

1098 Some years later he wrote to Mother María Antonia París: “I am very weighed down by people in this Court. There is nothing left to offer to Baby Jesus. Oh, how I wish to leave the Palace! I wish to be like the Wise Men of the East who left Jerusalem to adore Jesus in Bethlehem and to be on my way to my missions. This is what the Lord has raised me for and not for matters of the palace. For me, the Palace is my exile, my torment” (letter to Mother París, Madrid January 9, 1867: EC, II, pp. 1109-1110).

1099The reason for this was given by the same Queen many years afterwards when she affirmed: “The good that he has done for me, as well as my family, in life, I have neither the words nor gratitude to express it, and I am convinced that he protects us from heaven where he is enjoying that good fortune that he so yearned for and for which we should all yearn” (declar. from Isabel II, Paris, July 13, 1899: Proceso Regio, 3, p. 0213: in Aguilar, Mariano, Vida admirable de Claret [Madrid 1894] 4.°, II, p. 510).

1100 Cf. Ps 51:11.

1101 He confessed to Francisco Sansolí that in the Palace he found himself “being pricked by pins” (IPM ses. 13); to Carmelo Sala, that “he found himself tied by a chain like a dog” (IPT ses. 3); and to Saint Mary Michael of the Blessed Sacrament, he said: “that he was nailed to the cross like Jesus Christ on Calvary.” And he added: “help me to remove the nails from my body!” (IPM ses. 8). To the same saint he said in confidence: “I go around with my Madrid bitterness; I am happy everywhere except in Madrid, it is my Calvary: however, I do not want to come down from the cross until they remove the nails from me” (letter dated in Madrid November 15, 1861: EC, II, pp. 397-398).

1102 Cf. Eph 1:9-10.

1103 “It was obvious - said a witness - that for Fr. Claret it was a day of martyrdom each day he was seen forced to assist in the official acts of the Palace” (declar. de D. Melchor Bertrán: IPM ses. 14, art. 55).

1104 Not only did he ask for nothing, but he himself had to restrain the queen in her excessive lavishness, that she went into debt for her many gifts to Spaniards and foreigners (cf. letter to D. José Caixal, Madrid June 6, 1864: EC, II, p. 783).

1105 Cf. Mt 5:5.

1106 “He told me one day – affirmed Don Vicente de la Fuente – that having calculated the letters he received from one day to the next, they amounted to about 100 letters a day. In the end, he had to limit himself to opening only a few special letters, as he would have needed the entire day to read them and it would have been physically impossible to respond to them” (Aguilar, Francisco de Asís, Life of Claret, p. 290).

1107 In the original it is written: unimaginable.

1108 Cf. Mt 5:11-12.

1109 Cf. Mt 20:22-23.

1110 Cf. Mt 5:44.

1111 By virtue of a reform introduced in the Senate on July 17, 1857, all the Archbishops of Spain were promoted to the rank of senators. However, Claret, faithful to the principle of “not meddling in politics,” declined the honor. A newspaper of the time wrote: “It is strange that, based on his merits, unlike the new archbishops of Tarragona, Burgos and Valladolid, the doors have not been open to the respected Archbishop of Cuba, Fr. Claret. Nevertheless, says the newspaper, this decision should not come as a surprise, as it is well known that Father Claret has resolved not to take part in political struggles” (La España, January 26, 1858) (cf. Gutiérrez, Federico, Claret, el santo que no quiso ser senador: El Eco de Canarias, October 29, 1978). On Claret and politics cf. Vigil Gallego, José María, San Antonio María Claret: la política de un apoliticismo, in: La política de la Iglesia apolítica (Valencia 1975) pp. 81 179; González Cordero, Francisco, San Antonio María Claret: su programa apostólico liberador: Claretianum 19 (1979) 227 257; Sedano, Mariano José, El P. Claret y la política partidista de su tiempo, in: II Semana Sacerdotal Claretiana: El ministerio de comunión eclesial de los presbíteros según el P. Claret (Madrid 1989) pp. 68-116.

1112 The two parties contending for power were the progressive party and the conservative party: the former was embodied by liberalism, which was becoming more and more radical, and the latter, Carlism, a sign diametrically opposed in ideology as well as in action (cf. Extramiana, José, Historia de las guerras carlistas [Zarauz 1980] 2 vols.; Clemente, Josep Carles, Las guerras carlistas [Barcelona 1982] 280 pp.).

1113 In comparing the performance of Balmes and Claret in Madrid, the anarchist Jaime Brossa confessed that “the work of Balmes in the political arena was a magnificent strategic preparation to that of Father Claret, but the influence of the missionary was much more decisive, precisely because it was non-political” (Brunet, Manuel, Actualidad del P. Claret [Vic 1953] pp. 44 45). “As was his duty, Father Claret defended Pius IX with the same zeal as Balmes. But this scheming Father Claret invented the spirit of the revolution, because in reality, the missionary had caused us great damage” (ib., p. 45).

1114 He considered his post of confessor to the Queen a privileged position to better serve the Church. His intervention - almost always decisive - in the appointment of bishops was one of the principal aspects of this ecclesiastical service. “Archbishop Claret was a key figure because, from his position as confessor to the Queen he exercised great influence over the selection of candidates to the episcopate; done with such skill that Nuncio Barili accepted his nominations without difficulty in the majority of cases. However, one must always take into account that Claret always acted in accordance with the nuncio, who faithfully transmitted to him the instructions received from Rome” (Cárcel Ortí, Vicente, El liberalismo en el poder, BAC, Historia de la Iglesia en España [Madrid 1979] V, p. 192). “For Saint Claret all that mattered was the religious spirit and the intellectual and pastoral abilities of the men in whose selection he intervened” (Martín Tejedor, Jesús, España y el Concilio Vaticano I: Hispania Sacra 20 [1967] 125). One is able to get an idea of his wisdom in that “the candidates presented by the Crown or the officers of the executive council were never turned down by Rome” (Cuenca Toribio, José Manuel, El episcopado español en el pontificado de Pío IX [Valencia 1974] p. 63). On this subject cf. Fernández, Cristóbal, El confesor de Isabel II y sus actividades en Madrid (Madrid 1964) pp. 287 319.

1115 Cf. Mt 20:26-27.

1116 Cf. Dn 12:3.

1117 The saint shows at times that he is not very friendly with the canons. On one occasion, he writes to the canon, José Caixal: “Twice before I’ve dealt with Canons for God’s cause which I defend, and as many times the projects have been foilded” (letter dated in Las Palmas on December 11, 1848: SL, p. 166.).

1118 From these lines, one can observe the profound commitment of Claret to the missionary vocation, that he lived throughout his life and promoted as the Claretian Family, founding two missionary congregations, a secular institute (The Heart of Mary Filiation, created in 1850 and reemerged in 1943), and a long series of apostolic associations; among the best known, the Lay Claretian Movement (created around 1846 and reemerged in 1980). Also associated with him indirectly and forming part of the Claretian Family are four religious congregations of nuns: the Missionaries of the Immaculate Mary (founded by Rev. Fr. Armengol Coll CMF and Mother Imelda Makole, in Malabo, Equatorial New Guinea (October 7, 1909), the Cordimarian Missionaries (founded by Fr. Julián Collell CMF and Mother Carmen Serrano Rugama, in Mexico, D.F. (March 19, 1921), Missionaries of the Claretian Institution (founded by Father Luis Pujol and Mother María Dolores Solà, in Vic, Spain (May 8, 1951) and the Missionaries of St. Anthony Mary Claret (founded by His Excellency Bishop Geraldo Fernandes and the Servant of God, Mother Leonia Milito, in Londrina, Brazil (March 19, 1958).

1119 This chapter is parallel to chapter XXIV of part two. There, he speaks of poverty as one of the characteristics of his apostolic life and the way of practicing it in his life as a missionary. Faithful to his life as an apostolic missionary, here he speaks of the way to practice it in the Court, where his example was even more necessary.

1120 Cf. Bergua, José, Refranero español (Madrid 1984) p. 323. In this version, it reads: “The dog wags its tail, not for you, but for the bread.” There is another similar version, but distinct, that says “If the dog wags its tail, it is not for you, but for the bread.” This proverb teaches that generally, flattery and gifts are given more out of self interest than out of love.

1121 The Great Cross of Isabella the Catolic was awarded to him by royal decree on October 22, 1850. He was so disinterested in the honor, that he left Madrid before the queen could award it to him. On November 4^th, they had to order him to be decorated with the honor. “I resisted taking it as much as I could - he wrote to Don Fortián Bres, - but have not beein able to escape accepting it. Ah, My God! If one cross was enough to take my Savior’s life, what will become of me with all these crosses!” (letter dated in Madrid on October 24, 1850: SL, p. 234).

1122 The prince of Asturias was Don Alfonso de Bourbon (the future King Alphonsus XII), who was born on November 28, 1857. The document of granting the Great Cross of Carlos III, endorsed by the Queen and signed by the Minister of State, Don Francisco Martínez de la Rosa, is dated January 4, 1858 (cf. La Esperanza, Wednesday, January 6, 1858, p. 2, col. 4, in Gutiérrez, Federico, El Padre Claret en el periódico La Esperanza (1844-1874) [Madrid 1987] pp. 190-191).

1123 Don Francisco de Asís de Bourbon (1822-1902), nephew of Fernando VII. Married his first cousin Isabel II in 1846. He had the titles of King’s Consort and Captain General of the Spanish Navy.

1124Cf. Tisnés, Roberto, Las condecoraciones del Padre Claret: SC 10 (1992) 123-131.

1125 The princess Concepción was born on December 26, 1859 and was baptized the following day by Father Claret in the chapel of the Royal Palace. The painter from Seville, Rafael Díaz de Benjumea, protégé of the princess María Luisa Fernanda and painter of the Royal Chamber of Isabel II, captured the scene of the ceremony in a painting where the Saint appears in profile. It is the only picture which represents him in this manner. The princess died when she was two years old (in 1861) (cf. Espasa Encyclopedia, 18, p. 886; Pinares García Olías, Manuel, Rafael Benjumea pintor costumbrista: Art Laboratory, year 1994, n. 7, pp. 367-378).

1126 Paladio Currius, in a letter to Fr. Jaime Clotet dated April 7, 1880 (APV ses. 201), says that he spent 6,000 duros.).

The Hospital of Monserrat in Madrid was founded in 1616 for the poor, native of the Aragón kingdom. Claret was named patron of the hospital and church on March 28, 1859. With his efforts and apostolic zeal, he turned the church into one of the most visited, and the hospital – whose smallest details he attended to – into a model establishment. In 1866, he obtained the assistance of the Carmelite Sisters of Charity in attending to the sick (cf. Alonso Fernández, Ana María, Historia documentada de la Congregación de las Hermanas Carmelitas de la Caridad [Madrid 1971] II, pp. 264 266). Claret lived right there, in number 87, on the right-hand side of Atocha Street, beside the Antón Martín plaza, in the same neighborhood where the Monumental Cinema was located until the end of the twentieth century.

1127 Philip II ordered the El Escorial monastery, located 50 km from Madrid, to be built in order to commemorate the victory of San Quintín on the day of San Lorenzo: August 10, 1557. Following the expulsion of the Jerome monks in 1837, it fell to ruin. Father Claret was told of his nomination on September 19, 1858, but the royal order did not become effective until August 5, 1859. He physically restored it and created a great center of Christian life, with a community of chaplains, a national seminary and a university college. His intention was to found, as well, a national and international center of missions and spiritual exercises. In this post, he had to endure great sacrifice and tribulations. His resignation was accepted by the Queen on June 24, 1868 (cf. Fernández, Cristóbal, El confesor de Isabel II..., pp. 337-­376; Gaya Nuño, Juan Antonio, El Escorial. Plus Ultra [Madrid 1947] 150 pp.; Espinosa Sarmiento, José Miguel, El Seminario de El Escorial en tiempos de San Antonio María Claret (1861-1868). EUNSA [Pamplona 1995] 236 pp.).

1128 Cf. Mt 16:24; Mk 8:34; Lk 9:23.

1129 The reference to these first few hours of the day was complete with what he would say much later (cf. Autob. nn. 757 758).

1130 Preparations for the Mass lasted one hour. During all this time, he remained on his knees and without a cushion. During the celebration, “which lasted more than half an hour, his face was lit up by the love of God, and with such great fervor and devotion that all of us who were present were moved and edified by him” (cf. HD, II, p. 721). After celebrating, he heard the Mass of his chaplain, “remaining on his knees throughout and even long afterwards in the same position… He was not at all aware of what was happening around him” (ib.).

1131 “He is truly a tireless apostle, full of zeal and charity” affirmed the nuncio Barili in a letter to Cardinal Antonelli. And he added “It is truly a blessing for Madrid that this eminent archbishop has come here; through him the Catholic spirit is revived; the clergymen who wish to carry out their ministry have a guide and a teacher; the word of the Lord bears fruit and causes many non-believers and the corrupt to convert” (letter of May 9, 1858; in Fernández, Cristóbal, El confesor..., ed. cit., p. 387).

1132 Cf. Lk 8:1; 10:1.

1133 Cf. 1 Cor 9:16.

1134 Once again, as in other instances, one can perceive the yearning he had for his years as a wandering missionary through Catalonia, the Canary Islands, and Cuba. Nevertheless, the style of life he led in Madrid, and especially on his trips with the monarchs, is thoroughly apostolic. This is reflected in his life of poverty as well as in his tireless preaching.

1135 The phrase “to go on a journey” refers to the custom of the monarchs to go on occasional official visits of the court to all the different regions and cities of Spain, with a well-defined itinerary.

1136 Referring to these journeys, he said: “The Queen gathers the people and I preach to them.” At the time that he wrote these lines (1862), he had already accompanied the monarchs on several journeys: To Levante: Alicante and Valencia (May-June 1858) Castile, Asturias, Galicia and León (July-September 1858), The Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Aragón (September-October 1860) and Castile and Cantabria (July-August 1861). In that same year (September-October 1862), he would go on another journey to Andalucía and Murcia, and finally, in December of 1867, a short trip to Portugal. Sometimes, he preached as many as twelve sermons in one day. When he was asked once by Don Carmelo Sala how he could withstand so much work, he replied: “I am merely the horn; someone else blows it” (APT ses. 3).

1137 On December 21, 1857, he received a calling to write books (cf. Autob. n. 678), and he responded to the inspiration with intense literary activity.

1138 This life plan and its resolutions are fundamental for episcopal consecration (the year 1850), with some variations imposed by the new office of confessor to the queen. This can be seen in the section on Resolutions.

1139 With deep faith and devotion, he chooses these four great models of holiness and intense pastoral life: St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622), Bishop of Geneva; St. Charles Borromeo (1538-1584), Archbishop of Milan; St. Thomas of Villanueva (1486-1555), Archbishop of Valencia; and St. Martin (316-397), Bishop of Tours.

1140 1 Tim. 4:16: “Watch yourself and watch your teaching.” - The complete text of Cornelius translated into English says this: “These two are the duties of bishops, as well as all pastors, doctors, and preachers, to know that they should first teach themselves and then teach others; for those who do not look after themselves and are completely taken up with the care of others, work with a superficial spirit and benefit neither themselves nor others” (a Lápide, Cornelius, Commentaria in omnes Divi Pauli Epistolas [Amberes 1679] p. 738). Ex libris. An 1890 English translation of this great work by T. W. Mossman (Fouth Ed., J. Hodges, London) is available on the Internet. February 18, 2009 < http://www.catholicapologetics.info/scripture/newtestament/Lapide.htm>.

1141 Cf. Gn 17:1.

1142 Cf. Jn 8:50.

1143 Cf. 1 Cor 11:1.

1144 Cf. Autob. n. 699.

1145 Cf. Mt 2:13; Lk 2 :34-35.

1146 Cf. Mt 6:10; Eph 6:6.

1147 Either you do as God wills, or suffer what you would not.

1148 Cf. Croisset, Juan, Año cristiano: May, day 25 (Barcelona 1853) p. 481. Ex libris.

1149 Cf. a Lápide, Cornelius, o. c., p. 812 (Cf. footnote 204); Rodríguez, Alonso, Ejercicio de perfección y virtudes cristianas (Barcelona 1861) parte 1.ª, p. 377. Ex libris. See Alphonsus Rodriguez, The Practice Of Christian And Religious Perfection, 3 vol., (Kessinger Publishing, 2006).

1150 Cf. Croisset, Juan, o. c., p. 482: “His greatest maxim was this: Love God and despise yourself; and he added: In this consists perfection.”

1151To despise oneself and despise no one; to despise the world and despise being despised. Actually, this maxim is attributed to Saint Bernard and he employed it frequently, although in a different manner, St. Philip Neri: Spernere mundum, spernere nullum, spernere se ipsum, spernere se sperni. Cited by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in his work Italian Journey [1786-1788] (Trans. W.H. Auden and E. Mayer, Pegnguin Classics, England 1970) p. 314. As Claret says, it was most likely also employed by St. Luis Bertran (1526-1581).

1152 “In quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” – This text is often cited in his resolutions.

1153 The Saint applies this maxim to himself (ábstine et sústine: control yourself and bear with), which Aulo Gelio attributes to the Greek philosopher Epictetus (341-270 B.C.) and which in some way summarizes the morals of the stoic, but which, in turn also characterizes the Christian ascetic philosophy: to do all that we can and accept that which God allows or commands. Father Claret must have read this sentence in the work of: Rodríguez, Alonso, Ejercicio de perfección y virtudes cristianas (Barcelona 1861) parte 2.ª, trat. l, cap. 1, p. 10. Ex libris.

1154 The Holy Spirit teaches us to speak little and discreetly, to do all things fervently, and to praise God constantly (a Lápide, Cornelius, Commentaria in Acta Apostolorum, Epistolae Canonicae et Apocalipsin [Amberes 1672] p. 66). Ex libris. See footnote 204.

1155 These litanies and the petitions that follow are copies from another of the Saint’s handwriting that dates back to his early days as an archbishop (cf. Mss. Claret, II, 31 39). Perhaps he recited them during thanksgiving after the Mass, according to the intention n. 10 of the previous chapter (Autob. n. 645).

1156 St. Bernard Calvó was born in Reus (Tarragona) in 1180. He was a Cistercian monk of Santes Creus and Bishop of Vic (1223). He died in 1243 and his tomb is venerated in the cathedral. In the Cistercian Order, his feast is celebrated on October 24th , and in Vic on the 26th.

1157 This refers to Blessed Sebastián Valfré (Verduno, Alba, March 9, 1629 - January 30, 1710); orator, apostle of the catechism, father of the poor and the sick, and social reformer. He was beatified by Gregory XVI on July 15, 1834.

In another copy of his litany, Claret says: “S. Sebastiane Bal.” The devotion that Claret had to this Blessed should not be surprising, since he had a lot of relationships with the priests of the oratory and for the devotion Bishop Corcuera professed. His friend Don Jaime Soler published the Compendio de la vida del Beato Sebastián Valfré, sacerdote de la Congregación del Oratorio de San Philip Neri de Turín, taken from what was dedicated to His Holiness Pope Gregory XVI by the postulator of the cause Fr. Juan Calleri of the Oratory of Roma (Igualada 1835) 204+XII pp. It is a fact that in Cuba, during the year of 1853, the life of this saint was read at the table of the archbishop (cf. HD, l, p. 383). A Compendio della vita del Beato Sebastiano Valfré della Congregazione dell'Oratorio di Torino, 80 pp (Tip. Faziola) was published in 1836 in Genoa.

1158 In the original he says Eloice and in the other copy of this litany he wrote Eloisi (Mss. Claret, II, 32). He should have said Aloisi.

1159 Petitions for me...

I believe Lord but I wish to believe more firmly. I hope, Lord, but I wish to hope with more assurance. I love, Lord, but I wish to love with more ardor. I repent, Lord, but let me repent more deeply.

Oh Lord! I am your servant, the son of your handmaid (Ps 115:16).

Behold your servant, may your will be done in me (cf. Lk 1:38; Eph 6:6).

What would you have me do? (Acts 9:6).

Teach me to do your will for you are my God (Ps 142:10).

Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong (3 Kgs 3:9).

Father, grant me humility, meekness, chastity, patience, and charity.

Father, teach me goodness, knowledge and discipline (Ps 118:66).

Father, give me your love together with your grace, and I will be rich enough.

My God, my Jesus, and my all (cf. Autob. 655-657).

On the cross I have lived and on the cross I wish to die; from the cross I hope to come down, not by my own hands, but at the hands of others, after I have finished my sacrifice (cf. Origen de las calamidades públicas [Barcelona 1865] p. 44, note).

“God forgive that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, throught whom the world is crucified to me and I to the world” (Gal 6:14).

1160 Text of Antonio Molina in his work Instructiones sacerdotum, which was used by Pope Clement XI (Gianfrancesco Albani, born in Urbino in 1649 and Supreme Pontiff from 1700 to 1721 ) and José Caixal in his work Veni-mecum pii sacerdotis (Barcelona 1865) pp. 228-229.

1161 Saint Bonaventure, cited by Claret in: Origen de las calamidades públicas (Barcelona 1865) p. 44, note 1.

1162 Petitions for the People

Father, look upon the face of your Christ (Ps 83:10).

Father, look upon the face of your handmaid (Ps 118, 66).

Father, look toward me and have pity on me, for I am alone and afflicted (Ps 24:16).

Turn toward me and have pity on me; give you strength to your servant and save the son of your handmaid (Ps 85:16). Oh Lord! I am your servant; I am your servant and son of your handmaid (Ps 115:16).

Spare, O Lord, spare your people through the humility and patience of Jesus Christ our Lord and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Spare, O Lord, spare your people through the love and merits of Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Spare us O Lord; Jesus, Son of David, have pity on us (Mt 9:27).

Come then, Lord, sustain your people, bought with the price of your own blood.

Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance; govern them and lift them up into eternity.

Deign, O Lord, to keep us from sin this day.

Have mercy on us Lord, have mercy on us.

Let your mercy come upon us, Lord, as we have hoped in you.

In you, O Lord, I have trusted, I shall never be put to shame (Te Deum hymn).

1163 “Pardon, then, the wickedness of this people, in keeping with your great kindness.”

1164 Cf. 1Tim. 1:15. - Claret, Reloj de la passion de nuestro Señor Jesucristo. Madrid 1861. - Imp. of D. E. Aguado. The text in English can be seen in Works, III, pp. 236-242.

1165 Cf. Tomé de Jesús, Los trabajos de Jesús, I, p. 173. - This chapter, with a profound Franciscan flavor, is a copy of another autograph entitled Domestici Dei ad Eph. 2:19: familiars de Dios (Mss. Claret, II, 235-240). Through it, appears the intensity of the mystical experience that Saint Mary Anthony Claret acquired, the gift of piety, one of the principal characteristics of which is the vision of the world as a gift from the Heavenly Father (cf. Royo Marín, Antonio, Teología de la perfección cristiana: BAC [Madrid 1954] pp. 580 583). Through the Sacred Scriptures, and not from simple poetic intuition, the animals - the ant, the rooster, the donkey and the dog – appear as “members” of the universal fraternity and examples to be imitated in the Christian life and in apostolic activity. Saint Mary Michael of the Blessed Sacrament copied this chapter for her personal use (cf. Apuntes de la santa Madre [unedited] pp. 45 51; Bevilacqua, Maurizio, Antonio Maria Claret: Domestici Dei: SC 16 [1998] 117-131).

1166 Prov 6:6.

1167 “Who gives the cock its understanding?” The Job reference is a con fer.

1168 Mt 26:64; Mk 14:68: “At that moment a cock crowed.”

1169 Cf. Mk 14:72.

1170 1 Cor 4:15: “It was I who begot you in Christ Jesus through my preaching of the Gospel.”

1171 Once he wrote to Mother María Antonia París: “If I see the cave of Bethlehem, you are to represent the donkey for his humility and you should say like the prophet David: Ut jumentum factus sum apud te, et ego semper tecum””: Like a donkey I have gone before you; and I have always been in your presence (letter dated in San Idelfonso July 21, 1867: EC, II, p. 1180).

1172 Ps 72:23: “I was like a brute beast in your presence. Yet with you I shall always be.”

1173 In the autograph cited, he adds: “I must also attempt to practice the virtue of humility in every way” (Mss. Claret, II, 237).

1174 Cf. Mt 21:5-7.

1175 In the autograph from which he copied these paragraphs later and with a distinct handwriting: “Oh lazy one! Learn prudence from the ant! Learn from the curullada, who, when it has finished eating, raises its head straight to heaven and sings. “What a lesson for those who do not give thanks after receiving communion or after having eaten. Swine!” (Mss. Claret, II, 238). The term the curullada probably refers to the common cogullada (in Catalan), the crested cotovía (in Gallego) and the common cogujada (in Castilian): it is a bird that is very similar to the common lark, distinguishing itself by a longer and more pointed crest.

1176 Is. 56:10: “They are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark.” – The text says exactly: canes muti non volentes latrare.

1177 Cf. Rom 8:38-39.

1178 Cf. Sir 7:40.

1179 Gen 17:1: “Walk in my presence and be blameless.”

1180 From 1856 until his death (1870), St. Anthony Mary Claret, following the order of his confessor, Don Paladio Currius, and later his spiritual guide Fr. José Xifré, jotted down the locutions and interior movements that he kept receiving with regard to his personal sanctification and the apostolate. Some are cited here; and others come after the Autobiography and are written separately (cf. Mss. Claret, II, 167-­223; “Lights and Graces,” 1855 1870).

1181 “You have written well.”

1182 He almost certainly mistook the year: it should have been 1858.

1183 Cf. “Lights and Graces,” 1858.

1184 In “Lights and Graces,” it states clearly that it occurred in 1858.

1185 Cf. Mk 14:46.

1186 Cf. Mt 26:63.

1187 Cf. Mk 15:34; Mt 26:56.

1188 Cf. Mt 26:51-53; Jn 18:10.

1189 Cf. Jn 18:11; Mt 26:39.

1190 Jn 4:26: “I who speak to you am he.”

1191 Ex 3:10.4: “I am.”

1192 Jn 6:20: “It is I.”

1193 Acts 9:5; 15:20: “It is I.” (Jesus).

1194 Cf. Autob. n. 406; “Lights and Graces,” 1859.

1195 Rev 8:13: “As my vision continued, I heard an eagle” (cf. a lápide, Cornelius, Commentaria in Apocalypsin S. Iohannis [Amberes 1672] pp. 167 168). Ex libris. See footnote 204.

1196 Rev 10:1-4: cf. ib., p. 18

1197 Cf. Mk 3:17.

1198 Mt 10:20: “You yourselves will not be the speakers; the Spirit of your Father [and of your Mother], will be speaking in you.” The phrase “and your Mother,” added by Claret, gives the evangelical text a Marian flavor, in accordance with the manner in which he conceived and understood his apostolic mission.

1199 Lk 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; therefore he has anointed m. He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the broken hearted” (cf. Is 61:1).

1200 The church of St. Joseph was, according to the numbering at that time, at number 57; it is now number 41.

1201 Cf. “Lights and Graces,” 1861.

1202 Cf. “Lights and Graces,” 1867.

1203 Cf. “Lights and Graces,” 1861.

1204 In the Spanish text Claret writes toma paciencia (instead of ten paciencia) which is a literal translation of a Catalan expresion pren paciencia for “have patience.”

1205 The Royal Seat of La Granja de San lldefonso, situated 11 kilometers from Segovia, at the foothills of the Guadarrama mountain range, was built by Philip V. Summer residence of the monarchs and of Father Claret, as the confessor of Isabel II. In 1943, in the chapel of Cristo del Perdón, a plaque was installed commemorating this wonder and the locution: “Anthony, leave" as a result of the recognition of the Kingdom of Italy by Isabel II. The inscription reads: “Blessed Anthony Mary Claret would pray for long periods of time before the Blessed Christ of Pardon to whom he was very devoted. Praying before him, on July 17, 1865, at seven o’clock in the morning, Christ confirmed in him his intention to leave the court at that time, saying to him “Anthony, leave.” At seven o’clock in the evening on August 26, 1861, in that same church, the Lord conferred upon him one of the most wonderful mystic graces: that of preserving the sacramental species from one communion to the next, so that his breast became the living tabernacle of the Sacramental Jesus. He continued to receive this special gift until his holy death on October 24, 1870. - his sons, the Missionaries of Segovia, dedicated this plaque to his perpetual memory - July 18, 1943.”

1206 Glorify God and carry him always in your body. - “the great grace” - as he calls it - of the conservation of the sacramental species from one communion to the next indicates the arrival to a special state in his mystical conformity with Christ. It is a grace given as a crowning of a eucharistic life lived intensly since his childhood. Two important aspects of this which merit attention: 1) this grace was ordained, similar to the others received by the Saint, upon completion of his mission: the apostolate, now more universal and now in the fullness of his human and spiritual maturity; 2) it was almost certainly conceded to him by the intercession of the Virgin. Two details can insinuate this: the fact that it was received in the church of the Rosary and the words of the Virgin on May 16^th of the following year (Autob. n. 700) (cf. Puigdesens, José, Espíritu del Venerable P. Antonio María Claret [Barcelona 1928] pp. 349 366; Gutiérrez, Lucas, San Antonio María Claret, sagrario viviente: IC 43 [1950] 303 314; Lozano, Juan Manuel, Mystic and Man of Action, Saint Anthony Mary Claret [Trans. by J. Daries, Claretian Publications, Chicago, 1977], pp. 291-298; Mesa, José María, Una gracia grande: SC 2 [1964] 47 134; Juberías, Francisco, La permanencia eucarística [Granada 1975] 152 pp.; Álvarez Gómez, Jesús, La conservación de las especies sacramentales de una comunión a otra: una experiencia mística de San Antonio María Claret: SC 13 [1995] pp. 7-16.

1207 Cf. Letters to Father Xifré and to Mother París, La Granja on August 27, 1861 (EC, II, pp. 358-361); “Lights and Graces,” 1861.

1208 Cf. Mt 26:70, 72-74.

1209 Cf. Mk 14:6.

1210 Cf. Mk 14:70.

1211 Mk 14:72.

1212 Cf. Mt 26:7.

1213 Cf. Lk 22:61.

1214 Ps 103:32: “He who looks upon the earth and makes it tremble.”

1215 The Royal Place of Aranjuez, with a beautiful palace, gardens, and fountains fed by the Tajo river. Was enhanced above all during the reign of Philip V (1683-1746), king of Spain since 1700, and Charles IV (1748-1819), King of Spain from 1788 to 1808.

1216 Cf. Autob. 649.

1217 The Spanish text uses here page numbers that corresponds to the original manuscript (Mss. Cla­ret, I); The translator of the English edition has choosen to give the paragraph number that corresponds to the autobiography itself.

1218 He founded the Spiritual Society against Blasphemy in Mataró on April 5, 1845 (cf. Autob. n. 316).

1219 Father Claret first wrote February; then he corrected it to March; in reality, as he himself says in his narrative (Autob. n. 589), the departure from Havana took place on April 12^th (cf. Historic Archives of the Congregation of the Missionaries [Madrid 1915] p. 305.

1220 With this chapter, St. Anthony Mary Claret ended his Biography. The Index follows, indicating the pages of the manuscript; but later he completed his Biography with the Continuation of same. Here, we have omitted the Index of the three parts of the Autobiography and we have included it at the end of this volume, completing it with the index of the part that follows: Continuation of the Biography of the Archbishop Anthony Mary Claret.

1221 The complete description of this important trip to Andalucía and Murcia can be seen in: Cos-Gayón, Fernando, Crónica del viaje de Sus Majestades y Altezas Reales a Andalucía y Murcia (Madrid 1863) 380 pp. Ex libris; Reyes, Eduardo de los-Cobos, Francisco, Crónica del viaje de sus Majestades y Altezas Reales por Granada y su provincia en 1862 (Granada 1862) 218 pp. and 11 lithograph illustrations. Ex libris; Tubino, Francisco, Crónica del viaje de SS. MM. y AA. RR. a las provincias andaluzas en 1862 (Sevilla 1862) 482 pp. Ex libris. This last work contains a dedicated autograph of the author, which says the following: “To the Congress. His Excellency Don Ant°. Claret” (Bermejo, Jesús, Epistolario pasivo de San Antonio María Claret. III (1865-1870) [Madrid 1995] p. 482).

1222 Regarding this trip, as well as other reports about the archbishop and Andalucía, we possess many very interesting monographs by: Gutiérrez, Federico, San Antonio María Claret y Sevilla (Sevilla 1962) 88 pp.; San Antonio María Claret en Málaga (Madrid 1974) 184 pp.; San Antonio María Claret en Córdoba (Madrid 1976) 222 pp.; and de Hernández Martínez, José María, Claret en Granada (Grenada 2001) 32 pp.; reproduced in SC 21 (2003-2004) pp. 86-112.

1223 Cf. Bar 1:15.

1224 Cf. Lk 17:10.

1225 Don Carmelo Sala (Játiva 1833-Tarragona 1900), who accompanied him as the chaplain throughout the entire journey and gave the exact figure to Father Joseph Xifré: “based on my count, there have been two hundred and five sermons preached by the Archbishop in the forty-eight days that we have been on the trip thus far” (letter dated October 30, 1862, Madrid: EC, II, p. 559).

1226 On this trip, made during the fullness of his mystical life, Saint Anthony Mary Claret felt especially possessed and moved by God even in the external activity of the apostolate. There’s a reason he has been defined as “a mystic of action” and a “teacher of activism mystically sanctified” (Andrés Ortega, Augusto, Espíritu y misión del Padre Claret [Madrid 1981] p. 65). His confessor, Don Carmelo Sala, wrote the following to the Father General of the Claretian Missionaries: “After this task, sufficient and more than sufficient to yield the forces of a giant, he told me these words: ‘I know that God wants me to preach, so I am at peace; so rested and with as much strength as if I hadn’t done anything; the Lord does it all. Blessed be him forever’. It is also worth noting that all of this preaching does not stop him from honoring even the short time that he has dedicated for prayer, spiritual reading, and other pious exercises that he practices on a daily basis; moreover, he ate humble portions and barely slept. I will never stop admiring this wonder of grace and blessing to the Lord” (letter to Father Joseph Xifré, Madrid, September 27, 1862: Revista Católica 49 [1862] 125; EC, II, p. 545).

1227 Cf. Ps 88:2.

1228 In the same humorous tone, he told some cloistered nuns of Vic that they would be saved, but that they would be “the grandmothers of purgatory” for their lack of silence (cf. Puigdesens, José, Espíritu del Venerable P. Antonio María Claret [Barcelona 1928] p. 153 footnote 1). Diverse outlines of spiritual exercises to religious are preserved, and in all, silence is inculcated (cf. Mss. Claret, X, 521 680).

1229 Mt 25:12: “I know you not.”

1230 Cf. Lk 6:13; 9:10, 22:14, 24:9-10.

1231 Cf. Mk 6:30-32.

1232 Cf. Acts 2:44; 4:32.

1233 Cf. Mt 23:13.

1234 Cf. Mt 13:25.

1235 “The reign of Isabel II, which will be stamped throughout history with a special seal of generosity, has just been enriched with a new act of clemency. The rebels of Loja have been pardoned. So many unhappy people, who ate the bitter bread of emigration, can now calmly cross the borders of their country; so many families from whose breast had been fatally uprooted a husband, a brother, a father, will recover those from whom perhaps their livelihood depended. The Government of Her Majesty, upon approving the wish of our magnanimous Sovereign, has become deserving of the congratulations of all the parties, which have seen the indult as an act of high diplomacy” (Revista Católica 48 [1862, III] 461-462).

1236 In June and July of 1861, a group of peasants from Loja and Iznájar rebelled against the orders of the veterinarian (= blacksmith) Rafael Pérez del Álamo. Upon being attacked by the army, they barely gave resistance. Made prisoners, six were executed and some 50 condemned to prison. This was the first shot of indigenous socialism (cf. Pérez del Álamo, Rafael, Apuntes sobre dos revoluciones andaluzas [Grenada 1982] 204 pp.; Díaz del Moral, Juan, Historia de las agitaciones campesi­nas andaluzas-Córdoba [Madrid 1973] pp. 78 80; Calero, Antonio, Movimientos sociales en Andalucía (1820-1936). Ed. Siglo XXI [Madrid 1976]). The seizure enriched a few of the audacious, while the majority lived in misery and the peasants demanded the distribution of the lands. On October 15, 1862, Father Claret preached in Loja to the Poor Clares and to the clergy. He could not preach to the people, because an order was given that nobody could enter the church, in order to avoid confusion when the queen was there. “This was a very sensitive issue for the Archbishop, as it was perhaps for the people who were most in need" (letter from Don Carmelo Sala to Fr. Joseph Xifré, Madrid, October 17, 1862: Revista Católica 49 [1862] 244; EC, II, p. 556).

1237 In the following paragraphs, the Saint is limited to denouncing the errors, without intending to do sociology.

1238 Claret misspells the last name of this revolutionary chief, calling him del Olmo. In truth, he was called del Álamo.

1239 In the original, it reads “would go.”

1240 Cf. Mt 9:37-38. – Regarding the urgent necessity of missionaries, see the letter of May 1, 1863, addressed from Aranjuez to Fr. Joseph Xifré (EC, II, pp. 650-653).

1241 In the original, it reads: “that the darkness disappears.”

1242 Jn 18:36.

1243 Mt 22:21; Mk 12:17; Lk 20:25.

1244 Cf. Jn 10:12-13.

1245 “I see that the world is lost, and I have not come across another means than that of the formation of a good clergy, with its example and preaching could direct the sheep of the celestial Father; and I do not doubt that it will be found... The second medium is the formation of the youth of both sexes” (letter to M. María Antonia París, San Ildefonso, August 31, 1860: EC, II, p. 174).

1246 The royal delegation returned to Madrid on Wednesday, October 29^th, at five o'clock in the afternoon, and immediately the holy archbishop resumed work, yearning always for his apostolic journeys: “When we traveled to Andalusia with their Majesties, that is when I felt alive; but in this court, I suffer greatly, and thanks to God I can occupy myself; otherwise, I would die of grief. But the work that I long for is to travel to those towns where there is so little preaching and so much need” (letter to Mother María Antonia París, Madrid, February 23, 1863: EC, II, p. 627). The novena to the Virgin of Patronage, which finished the day of the feast, Sunday, November 9, 1862, was a true mission.

1247 The exercises began on Monday, November 10^th and finished on Wednesday, the 19^th.

1248 He returned to Madrid on November 19^th. The exercises to the religious Sisters Adorers likely took place during the last week of that same month. The Institute of Religious Adorer- Slaves of the Blessed Sacrament and of Charity - was founded by Saint Mary Michael of the Blessed Sacrament (1809-1865), under the direction of Fr. Claret. A deeply evangelical woman of heroic temperament, St. Mary Michael passed away in Valencia, attending to those infected with the plague and a victim herself of cholera. She was canonized by Pius XI on March 4, 1934. The Congregation of the Adorers is comprised of 1,300 religious, has 165 houses, and is present in 17 countries, spanning Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. Its specific mission is the daily and nightly adoration of the Eucharist and the apostolate of the re-education of youth, particularly from the poorest and most abandoned classes. About Saint Mary Michael of the Blessed Sacrament cf. Tóffoli, María Milena, Santa María Micaela del Santísimo Sacramento: Autobiografía, BAC (Madrid 1992) 2.ª ed. XLI+598 pp.; Barrios Moneo, Alberto, Mujer audaz. Santa Micaela del Santísimo Sacramento. Her life. Her works. Her spirit. Documented history (Madrid 1968) 684 pp.; Vázquez, María, Historia del Instituto de las Adoratrices Esclavas del Santísimo Sacramento y de la Caridad, vol. I (1845-1865) (Madrid 1995) I, 618 pp.; Santa María Micaela, Correspondencia. Ed. Prepared and edited by Pilar Iríbarri Díaz, AASC, with the collaboration of Fabiana Pascual Rodríguez, María Aurora Simón, Lucía Herranz and Antonia de Novoa, 4 vols.: I (1835-1855) (Madrid 1999) LII+880 pp.; II (1856-1858) (Madrid 2002) XX+764 pp.; III (1859-1860) (Madrid 2004) XX+760 pp.; IV (1860-1861) (Madrid 2005) XX+760 pp.

1249 By “the French”, he was surely referring to the religious Sisters of the Holy Family of Burdeos, founded in 1820 by the Venerable Pedro Bienvenido Noailles (Burdeos 1793-1861), who established his first foundation in Madrid in the year 1843, under the direction of Mother Rita Bonnat, Spanish, but of French origin. It is known that the foreign association was widely developed in Spain with the help of Father Claret, among others (cf. Darricau, Raymond-Peirouse, Bernard, El Padre Noailles y la Asociación de la Sagrada Familia. Historia de un carisma [Tours 1993] 334 pp.; Tóffoli, María Milena, o.c., BAC [Madrid 1992] 2.ª ed., cap. XXIV-XXVI+598; Barrios Moneo, Alberto, o.c., [Madrid 1968] pp. 206-210; Vázquez, María, o.c., ed. cit., I, pp. 95-107).

1250 She received a reprimand from the Virgin and from St. Paul because she had allowed herself to get distracted looking at her brother who passed near her, during the prayer (cf. Gisbert, Lorenzo, Vida portentosa de la seráfica y cándida virgen Santa Catalina de Sena [Gerona 1804] pp. 68 69).

1251 Claret, Spiritual Exercises... Explained (Madrid 1859) pp. 264 270 and 356 363. Meditation 20 addresses obedience, humility, kindness, and charity; and meditation 28 speaks of the truths that should be present, especially the inner imitation of Jesus, as victim on the cross.

1252 Cf. Is 6:8.

1253 Rodríguez, Alonso, Ejercicio de perfección y virtudes cristianas (Barcelona 1861) 3 vols. Ex libris. See A. Rodriguez, The Practice Of Christian And Religious Perfection, 3 vol., (Kessinger Publishing, 2006).

1254 Puente, Luis de la, Meditaciones espirituales (Barcelona 1856) 6 vols.

1255 “To die Lord, or to suffer” (Santa Teresa de Jesús, Libro de la vida, ch. 40, n. 15, in Obras de Santa Teresa de Jesús, LR [Barcelona 1851] II, p. 141). See Part I, Chapter 2, footnote 15 for source of English translation.

1256 “To suffer, not to die” (Santa María Magdalena de Pazzi) (cf. Croisset, Juan, Año cristiano, May 25^th [Barcelona 1853] p. 482). Ex libris.

1257 “To suffer for you and that I be scorned.” According to Francisco de Yepes, the complete phrase, articulated by St. John of the Cross before a crucifix, is as follows: “Lord, what I want is that you give me works so as to suffer for you and that I be scorned and held in low esteem" (cf. Crisógono de Jesús, Vida de San Juan de la Cruz, in: San Juan de la Cruz, Vida y obras, BAC [Madrid 1974] 8.ª ed., p. 301). For English see The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross . Trans. Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D., and Otilio Rodriguez, O.C.D., revised edition Institute of Carmelite Studies, (1991). See also John of the Cross Saint 1542-1591 in Worldcat identities

1258 Gal 6:14: “God forbid that I should glory in anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1259 These “Things to remember” were copied from the Máximas para mi gobierno, nn. 1 3, 8 and 7 (cf. Resolutions, 1860).

1260 Venegas, Miguel, Vida y virtudes del Ven. P. Juan Bautista Zappa (Barcelona 1754) p. 199. Ex libris.

1261 Ib.

1262 2 Tim 2:10: “I bear with all this for the sake of those whom God has chosen, in order that they may obtain salvation.”

1263 Cf. Mt 26:26-28.

1264 Cf. Jn 4:32-34.

1265 Cf. Gal 2:20; Phil 1:21.

1266 Venegas, Miguel, o. c., p. 220.

1267 Cf. Jn 5:30; 6:38.

1268 This number as well as part of the previous one is found in the leaflet, Breve instrucción que dio el Excmo. e Ilmo. Sr. Arzobispo Claret a un hombre sencillo que encontró por un camino antes de despedirse de su compañía, LR (1861) pp. 3-4.

1269 Various witnesses confirm that, when he traveled with the court, he never rested. At home, he must have slept very little. He used to say that seven quarters of an hour sufficed.

1270 Cf. Mk 15:15.

1271 “Give me blood and I will give you spirit.”

1272 In these numbers (759 761), reference is made to his efforts put into practice the recommendation that the Lord and the Virgin made to him on September 4, 1859 (cf. Autob. n. 684).

1273 Tantalus is a mythological character who, having stolen the nectar of the Gods, was punished by being submerged up to his neck in a lake of crystalline water, which had fruit-bearing trees emerging from its seabed whose branches appeared loaded with tempting, and in appearance, tasty fruits. As soon as Tantalus attempted to drink from the water of the lake, they were plunged instantly onto the land; and, if he wanted to reach the fruit of the trees that surrounded him, a strong wind would immediately move the branches out of his reach. Every effort on the part of Tantalus turned out, time and again, to be useless, and he found himself condemned to contemplate the foods without being able to eat them and the water without being able to drink it. “Several times – affirms a witness speaking of Claret – he declared to me the feeling that came to him when he had to go to the Palace and, above all, to attend the banquets, which he tried his best not to attend, nor to taste not more than one of the foods, so as not to draw attention; mentioning once humorously that, to see very good things and not to taste them, the torture of Tantalus, spoken of by the pagans, could be a good penance” (declaration by Don Vicente de la Fuente: IPM ses. 8, art. 55).

1274 Cf. Mt 4:2.

1275 Comparing the resolutions of Madrid with those of Cuba, significant progress in the experience of God is noted.

1276 Cf. Mk 16:15.

1277 Cf. “Lights and Graces,” 1861.

1278 Claret understood the mission as apostolic itinerancy, like a continuous journey from one place to another preaching the Gospel. “I do not have rest, nor does my soul find consolation but for running and preaching” (letter to Mother María Antonia París, Madrid, February 23, 1863: EC, II, pp. 626 627). With his obligatory stay in Madrid, it seemed as though he was sacrificing his universal missionary vocation. Nevertheless, the wings of his ardent zeal were never clipped. In fact, he said in the same letter: “Since I cannot go, I will try to arrange for others to go, my beloved brothers, called the Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” (ib., p. 627).

1279 The stability in Madrid allowed him to devote himself to the spiritual direction of certain select people, among those highlighted, Saint Mary Michael of the Blessed Sacrament (1809 1865); Don Fernando Blanco (1812 1881), bishop of Avila from 1858 to 1875 and archbishop of Valladolid from 1875 until his death; and Don Joaquín Ignacio de la Isla Fernández y Pantoja, Count of Isla and Marquis of Arco (1822 1912).

1280 These were the obligations of the members of the Academy of St. Michael indicated in its Rules, art. 8, tit. 1.°, see Works, v. III, pp. 408-410

1281 It is interesting to report that, in his resolutions, only the Rosary and the Chaplet of Antiphons to the Virgin figured as vocal prayers. The other prayers were those imposed by the different brotherhoods to which he belonged beginning as a student, and to which he fulfilled faithfully throughout his life (cf. Autob. n. 94 and Doc. Autob. V).

1282 Having arrived at the fullness of the mystical experience, the prayer of Saint Anthony Mary Claret – including his vocal prayer, which, in theory could be less intimate and more diffuse – reaches the highest quality and is converted into pure and loving contemplation.

1283 All Claretian mysticism revolves around the Eucharist, spring of holiness and apostolic fruitfulness. Most of the mystical graces that Father Claret received are purely Eucharistic – such as the conservation of the sacramental species (August 26, 1861) - or they are in relation to the Eucharist (also with the Virgin) during Mass or in his prolonged periods of adoration. The Eucharist was the sacrament of his mystical union. His faith was revealed externally and inspired whoever accompanied him in his visits to the Blessed Sacrament: “He was near the tabernacle as much as he could, and there he remained in ecstasy for awhile” (APT ses. 98).

1284 Cf. Fernández, Cristóbal, El confesor de Isabel II y sus actividades en Madrid (Madrid 1964) pp. 161 168.

1285 Speaking of philanthropy, he refers to saints Isabel of Hungary and of Portugal. And he adds: “And also our beloved Queen since very young. And one month ago a newspaper said she had abstained from a dance and invested the expense (giving it) to the poor” (Mss. Claret, IX, 524).

1286 Cf. Angelón, Manuel, Isabel II (Madrid 1860) p. 292.

1287 He probably wrote these lines in November of 1862, based on the fact that on the 19^th of that month, the feast day of Queen Isabel II was celebrated, and on the 28^th, the birthday of the Prince of Asturias (the future King of Spain Alfonso XII).

1288 He narrates these cases - which are not related to the subject matter of the chapter – at the hint of his spiritual director, for the usefulness of preachers (cf. Autob. n. 802).

1289 Normally, they had two shifts of vacations each year: in the spring in Aranjuez (May-June of 1859, April-May of 1861, April-May of 1863, May-June of 1864, May-June of 1865, May-June of 1866) and in summer in San Ildefonso de La Granja (July-August of 1859, July-August 1860, August-September 1861, July-August-September of 1862, July-September of 1863, July-September of 1864, July of 1865, July-August of 1866, July-September of 1867, July-August of 1868). Also two years they summered in the Basque Country (August-September of 1866 and of 1868).

1290 Don Carmelo Sala said: “The journeys to Aranjuez and La Granja, that could have served His Excellency for rest, he consecrated for writing, so that most of the published works since Madrid have been written during this time” (Claretian Archive of Vic, n. 774, p. 12).

1291 The Carmelites of Charity he calls “Tertiaries” - founded on February 26, 1826 by Saint Joaquina de Vedruna y Mas (1783 1854); a woman of deep interior life and apostolic boldness, canonized on April 12, 1959. In the year 1850, Father Claret intervened efficiently in the editing of the Constitutions. The Congregation, by the end of 2005, was comprised of 2,100 members in numerous communities throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. They dedicate themselves to education and assistance to the sick, to missions, to parochial and rural apostolates, to the poor and immigrants. About Mother Vedruna cf. Nonell, Jaime, Vida y virtudes de la Venerable M. Joaquina de Vedruna y Mas (Manresa 1905 1906) 2 vols.; Pamplona, Ignacio de, Vida y Obra de la insigne educadora Santa Joaquina de Vedruna de Mas del Padre San Francisco (Madrid 1959) 5.ª ed., 236 pp.; Alonso Fernández, Ana María-Gilibets Dalmau, María Antonia, Santa Joaquina de Vedruna: cartas escritas y recibidas. Ed. Encuentro (Madrid 1998) 228 pp. Regarding the relationships of Claret with them, cf. Alonso Fernández, Ana María, San Antonio María Claret y las Carmelitas de la Caridad: Vida Religiosa 29 (1970) 215-221; Id., Historia documental de la Congregación de Hermanas Carmelitas de la Caridad (Madrid 1968-1971) I, pp. 185-187; 229-234, 340-347; 447-448; II, pp. 55-57; 180-184, 249-251; 373-376. For a brief biography in English see,

1292 El colegial o seminarista teórica y prácticamente instruido (Barcelona 1861) II, 526 pp.; La colegiala instruida (Barcelona 1863) 480 pp.; Biblia Sacra (Barcelona 1862) 894 pp. The publications made in 1863 can be seen in the “General Bibliography.”

1293 The resolutions of 1863 are transcribed almost to the letter, adding n. 792, in which he makes an account to his director of how he fulfilled them. (cf. Resolutions, 1863).

1294 Cf. Gisbert, Lorenzo, Vida portentosa de la seráfica y cándida virgen Santa Catalina de Sena (Gerona 1804) pp. 68 69.

1295 Cf. Cepari, Virgilio, Vida de San Luis Gonzaga (Barcelona 1863) p. 191.

1296 Mt 11:29.

1297 Ágreda, María Jesús de, Mística ciudad de Dios. Librería Religiosa (Barcelona 1860) II, p. 276. The chapter (XII) is titled: “The Virtue of Temperance as Practiced by the Most Holy Mary. Speaking of the meekness of the Virgin, she says that “it was necessary that the clemency of Mary should imitate so closely his own as to make it a fit channel for the over flow of his divine clemency toward the creatures.” Bk. II, ch. 12, #590, p. 455. For an English translation of this work see The Mystical City of God: Life of the Virgin Mother of God, manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus of Agreda, 1602-1666 – Four volumes. (Trans. Fiscar Marison (Rev. Geo. J. Blatter) [The Theopolitan, So. Chicago, Ill., W. B. Conkey Co. Hammond, Indiana, 1912] For a recent edition see Tan Books & Pub (2006).

1298 Cf. San Francisco de Sales, Introducción a la vida devota (Madrid 1771) cap. 8, p. 109. Ex libris. See St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, Allan Ross Trans. (Dover Publications (2009).

1299 Cf. Is 6:8.

1300 Cf. Special Devotions: Resolutions, 1862. See also Works, II, p. 205.

1301 The Congregation of the Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary-Claretian Missionaries, founded by Saint Anthony Mary Claret in Vic on July 16, 1849.

1302 A very austere order founded in 1086 by St. Bruno, who was born in Cologne (Germany) in 1030 and, as a young man, removed himself from the worldly life to a distant place and dedicated himself totally to prayer and penitence, first in the monastery of St. Robert in Molesmes (France) and later on to a solitary hill near Grenoble, named Chartreux (Chartreuse). St. Bruno drew up a very severe rule for his monks: perpetual silence, daily and nightly prayer, no consumption of meat or liquor, receiving visitors only once a year and dedicating several hours a day for study or manual labor, especially in copying books, and living totally isolated from the world. Pope Urban II mandated St. Bruno to go to Rome to be his counselor, and in the eternal city, he passed away on October 6, 1101.

1303 The exercises were carried out from Tuesday, the 13^th until Thursday, the 22^nd of December of 1864 (cf. Resolutions, 1864).